Getting Ready For Turkey Hunting

Don’t look now but we’re just a month away from the opening of the spring wild turkey season in Louisiana. Just the thought that season opens in a month has the capacity to make you forget hunting anything else.

Those who have discovered the sheer thrill and excitement of turkey hunting will make excuses for letting the trash pile up on the yard and delay breaking up the garden. Spring fishing hardly crosses the minds anymore of this contingent of outdoorsmen and women.

For starters, there is the setting. Being out in the woods as the eastern sky begins glowing is special in itself. Leaning against a tree amid a landscape awash in dogwood and wild azalea blossoms, listening to the wake up call of the first cardinal is part of the drama that is about to unfold.

As dawn breaks, a barred owl calls. Before another owl can answer, the woods
reverberate with a sound that sounds something like a handful of bolts rattling around in a tin bucket. It’s loud, it’s dry, it’s raspy. It’s the wake up call of a turkey gobbler. Just getting to hear this sound makes crawling out of a warm bed long before dawn well worth the effort.

For those who will be turkey hunting for the first time this spring, here are some basic
tips, words of caution and pointers to help your initial turkey season be rewarding.

CLOTHING – It isn’t necessary to buy a new camouflage wardrobe to hunt turkeys. Your deer hunting camo will usually work, but not if any skin or bright colored clothing are showing. Camouflage headnet and gloves are essential.

FIREARMS – Most hunters recommend a 12 or 20 gauge shotgun with a tight choke,
preferably the “extra-full” choke designed specifically for hunting turkeys.

AMMUNITION – Use heavy-load shot shells in a 3 or 3 ½ inch magnum. Some shotguns shoot #4’s best while others pattern #5’s or #6’s better. Fire rounds of several shot sizes at targets to find out which works best for your gun.

CALLS – You don’t have to be an expert to call in a gobbler. One of the simplest for
beginners is the box call. By stroking the lid over the lip of the box, realistic turkey sounds can be easily made. Also easy for the neophyte hunter to master is the slate call. Making small ovals with the peg on the slate or glass surface to simulate the yelping of a hen turkey will often gain a gobbler’s attention.

SCOUTING –Spend some time at dawn, listening for birds gobbling from the roost. Walk over your area, taking special note of turkey sightings, tracks, droppings, dusting sites and places where fresh scratching in the leaves indicate feeding sites.

OPENING DAY – Plan to be at a listening point late in the afternoon before the hunt.
Listen for turkeys flying to roost. If you’re lucky, you’ll hear the heavier wing-beats of a gobbler. Ideally, he will gobble a time or two before dark, helping you key in on where he will be the following morning.

Before dawn the next day, sneak to within 100 yards or so of where you heard the
gobbler. In Louisiana, decoys are legal and a hen or jake decoy placed in an opening near you will help attract a gobbler.

Wait until the cardinals and crows begin calling. Perhaps a barred owl or crow will entice your roosted bird to gobble. If not, try using an owl hooter or if you’re good enough, your natural voice, to trigger a response.

Begin calling softly and sparingly, like a hen turkey might do upon awakening before she flies down. Listen to how the gobbler responds. If your calling excites him, tease him by remaining silent for several minutes; this piques his curiosity sometimes to the point that he will fly down and check you out. Calling too often will usually result in the gobbler remaining on his roost, waiting for the excited hen he hears to present herself. If he doesn’t see her, he’ll likely lose interest and go the other way after flying down.

THINK SAFETY –Choose a set-up with your back against a tree wider than your
shoulders. Never attempt to sneak up on a gobbling bird; it may be another hunter. Also, as you slip through the woods, a nearby hunter may mistake you for the gobbler. Should you see another hunter moving your way, call out loudly to him to alert him to your position. Never wear the colors of red, white or blue, the colors of a gobbler’s head.

Follow these tips and you might discover a new sport that’ll last a lifetime.

FISHING REPORT 

CANEY LAKE – Crappie fishing has been good with some slabs caught fishing shiners or jigs out in front of the spillway. Bass are starting to move up to 6-8 foot water with fair catches made on spinners and soft plastic lures. No report on bream or catfish. For information contact Caney Lake Landing at 259-6649, Hooks Marina at 249-2347, Terzia Tackle at 278-4498 or the Honey Hole Tackle Shop at 323-8707.
BUSSEY BRAKE – The bass are becoming more active and beginning to move up to more shallow water. Spinner baits and soft plastics are picking up a few. Crappie have yet to move and they’re still deep and fair on shiners and jigs. For latest information, contact the Honey Hole at 323-8707.
OUACHITA RIVER – The river is rising. A few catfish are being caught. Everything thing else is slow. For latest information, contact the Honey Hole Tackle Shop at 323-8707.
LAKE D’ARBONNE –Crappie have started to move up from the deep channels to 12-14 foot water and hitting shiners and jigs. Bass are starting to move to more shallow water with some hitting slow-rolled spinners and soft plastics. Catfishing is good off the banks on cold worms. For latest information, call Anderson Sport Center at 368-9669 or Honey Hole Tackle Shop at 323-8707.
LAKE CLAIBORNE – Crappie fishing has been best with some slabs caught fishing shiners or jigs just out from the dam. Bass are beginning to start moving up and should start hitting spinners and plastic worms. No report on bream, catfish or stripers. For latest information, call Kel’s Cove at 927-2264 or Terzia Tackle at 278-4498.
LAKE POVERTY POINT – Crappie are improved on both the north and south ends of the lake on shiners or jigs with largest reported weighing 2.85 pounds. No report on bass. Catfish continue to bite. For information, contact the marina at 318/878-0101.
LAKE YUCATAN – The water is high and rising and will continue to rise as the Mississippi river will be bringing down lots of new water which has shut things down for awhile. For info call Surplus City Landing at 318/467-2259.